Review: Charlie Bartlett

The teen rebel is a staple of cinema, and every generation seems to
have their own big screen spokesman. "Charlie Bartlett" (IMDb listing) is applying
for this exalted position, and I could see the film appealing to the
target demographic on the strength of its messages, but certainly not
in the filmmaking presented.

Expelled from a private institution, Charlie Bartlett (Anton Yelchin)
is off to public school, where his privileged ways are immediately
rebuffed by his classmates. Searching for popularity, Charlie begins
to manipulate his psychiatrists to get his hands on ADD and anxiety
drugs, which he then sells to his classmates. An immediate hit,
Charlie soon becomes an ear for his school, with his peers coming to
the makeshift analyst to help solve their problems. It also engages
the attentions of Susan (Kat Dennings), the daughter of the principal
(Robert Downey Jr.) who knows what Charlie is capable of and wants
nothing to do with him.

It turns out the kids just want someone to talk to. "Charlie Bartlett"
is an extended riff on disenfranchised, isolated youth embracing their
disobedient savior. You've seen the film before, only now the topical
twist is the overmedication of teens and how it stymies emotional
growth. "Bartlett" is a dark comedy, but I couldn't sense any stable
tone from Gustin Nash's screenplay. The writer is stuck between
abrasive, snarky characters who clown around in established youth vs.
adult archetypes and a yearning to address abandonment issues, which
leads to internal teen combustion and the occasional suicide attempt.
It's a bumpy ride trying to navigate the plot, and the more it pogos,
the more distancing and strained it becomes.

Buying Charlie as a nuanced protagonist is a major effort, due in
great part to Yelchin's misplaced energy and abrasive loyalty to
performance indication. Director Jon Poll gives the actor great
leeway; as though there's this curly-haired bubble of charm standing
in front of the camera, and his every move is gold. Charlie comes
across as a monster; a smarmy manipulator, not a friend to the
students he services with pills and heartfelt bathroom stall talks.
He's no Ferris Bueller, though Poll pushes urgently to turn the
character into a lighthearted hepcat messiah. The script softens his
blows by introducing Susan as a romantic entanglement that warms
Charlie up, however this results in one of the creepier deflowering
scenes in recent memory.

Is the audience supposed to feel bad for Charlie? Embrace his rebel
yell? Sympathize with his familial pain? Poll leaves interpretation in
the hands of the viewer, but forgets to include a reason to care.

More interesting is the story of Principal Gardner, sharply played by
Downey in a fashion that's rich with gentle shadings of responses and
invites emotional interpretation. Downey doesn't have much to do in
"Bartlett," but his underplayed performance of frustration and
hopeless fatherhood control is the film's only output of humanity.

"Charlie Bartlett" has plenty on its mind about today's
prescription-pounded youth, but its clouded execution and miscasting
neuter the intended objective the film has to brand the character a
clear-thinking leader of the pack. Charlie Bartlett is not a hero; he
deserves a spanking.

The teen rebel is a staple of cinema, and every generation seems to\nhave their own big screen spokesman. \"Charlie Bartlett\" (IMDb listing) is applying\nfor this exalted position, and I could see the film appealing to the\ntarget demographic on the strength of its messages, but certainly not\nin the filmmaking presented.\n\n

\n\nExpelled from a private institution, Charlie Bartlett (Anton Yelchin)\nis off to public school, where his privileged ways are immediately\nrebuffed by his classmates. Searching for popularity, Charlie begins\nto manipulate his psychiatrists to get his hands on ADD and anxiety\ndrugs, which he then sells to his classmates. An immediate hit,\nCharlie soon becomes an ear for his school, with his peers coming to\nthe makeshift analyst to help solve their problems. It also engages\nthe attentions of Susan (Kat Dennings), the daughter of the principal\n(Robert Downey Jr.) who knows what Charlie is capable of and wants\nnothing to do with him.\n

\n\n\nIt turns out the kids just want someone to talk to. \"Charlie Bartlett\"\nis an extended riff on disenfranchised, isolated youth embracing their\ndisobedient savior. You've seen the film before, only now the topical\ntwist is the overmedication of teens and how it stymies emotional\ngrowth. \"Bartlett\" is a dark comedy, but I couldn't sense any stable\ntone from Gustin Nash's screenplay. The writer is stuck between\nabrasive, snarky characters who clown around in established youth vs.\nadult archetypes and a yearning to address abandonment issues, which\nleads to internal teen combustion and the occasional suicide attempt.\nIt's a bumpy ride trying to navigate the plot, and the more it pogos,\nthe more distancing and strained it becomes.\n\n

\n\nBuying Charlie as a nuanced protagonist is a major effort, due in\ngreat part to Yelchin's misplaced energy and abrasive loyalty to\nperformance indication. Director Jon Poll gives the actor great\nleeway; as though there's this curly-haired bubble of charm standing\nin front of the camera, and his every move is gold. Charlie comes\nacross as a monster; a smarmy manipulator, not a friend to the\nstudents he services with pills and heartfelt bathroom stall talks.\nHe's no Ferris Bueller, though Poll pushes urgently to turn the\ncharacter into a lighthearted hepcat messiah. The script softens his\nblows by introducing Susan as a romantic entanglement that warms\nCharlie up, however this results in one of the creepier deflowering\nscenes in recent memory.\n

\n\n\nIs the audience supposed to feel bad for Charlie? Embrace his rebel\nyell? Sympathize with his familial pain? Poll leaves interpretation in\nthe hands of the viewer, but forgets to include a reason to care.\n\n

\n\nMore interesting is the story of Principal Gardner, sharply played by\nDowney in a fashion that's rich with gentle shadings of responses and\ninvites emotional interpretation. Downey doesn't have much to do in\n\"Bartlett,\" but his underplayed performance of frustration and\nhopeless fatherhood control is the film's only output of humanity.\n

\n\n\n\"Charlie Bartlett\" has plenty on its mind about today's\nprescription-pounded youth, but its clouded execution and miscasting\nneuter the intended objective the film has to brand the character a\nclear-thinking leader of the pack. Charlie Bartlett is not a hero; he\ndeserves a spanking.